The Stolen Thief
by Sonicthehero5602
Summary: UPDATED/FINISHED. Rouge loved Shadow, but he was too wrapped up with Maria to truly feel. So, she left, emotionally broken. A number of years later...
1. Chapter 0: A Preview

_**Say what you will, this piece means the world to me, and in the end, that's all I really care about.**_

"_The song of the heart,_

_So clear and so true,_

_Will last 'til the end,_

_But, oh! When the song's through…"_

The music started in a pulsating tune that blended the rhythmic drumming and a captivating violin, an innately mesmerizing combination in themselves. The people quieted and turned to the platform. The room dimmed, and spotlights glowed on the main act. A woman strode onto the stage, head down, perfectly placed between the light so that her face was hidden. All that showed was the shimmering white dress, trimmed with lace and a trailing hem, and the perfectly formed limbs that extended from it. A satin velvet upper piece accentuated her beauty, as the long ivory boots and gloves she wore increased her mysterious appearance.

Reaching the center, she breathed once, and then began to sing in a dulcet voice that immediately captured every audience member's attention with its shocking clarity and fervent passion. As she sang, she danced, swirling and stepping entrancingly. Her graceful movements brought every facet of her form into the limelight, her visage so brutally honest and tormented, while her shoulder blades appearing like the sutured nubs of a fallen angel's wings. Her crystal voice, so achingly sad and eerily familiar, sounded across the room. Every ounce of her emotion was evident in the song, evoking the same feelings for every person in the room. The spotlights began shifting in a circle, and in one sudden fluctuation in the music, focused on this unknown dancer with a voice of gold.

As she lifted her head to face the crowd, the most startling aspect of all was revealed: Her eyes, such portals to the soul, were emerald green, and filled with pain. Barely contained tears were concealed there, testaments to the secret tortures she had endured. Then, as she reached the climax to the elegant music, those floodgates were released. She began to weep silently, the rivers of crystal only increasing her beauty. Her voice stayed strong and precise, the tears simply completing the heart-rending melody. The exquisite aria stirred the audience in such a way that they began to weep, too, each comforting and being comforted by their neighbor. The soulful strains that pierced the air, that pierced the heart, rang out like they would last for the rest of eternity.


	2. Chapter 1: The Song of a Stolen Soul

_I said I'd do it, and I did. It just took a little (lot) while longer than I thought._

_Bit of a disappointment to use as a capstone, but I'm bidding this site goodbye. I might do something someday when I'm bored, but I really want to be able to use my own material and be able to get it in print._

_Here's the last of the old stuff- Enjoy!_

"Hey, Shads! C'mon, bucko! I got something ya gotta look at!"

The annoying pitch of a certain blue hedgehog caused Shadow to glance down out of the oak he was comfortably reclined in.

"Go away, Faker. I'm in no mood for one of your stunts, and I'm sure it can wait."

"Well, no. I need you to look it at now, man."

"Later, pest."

"No, Shadow— _now_." The serious tone in his voice gave Shadow pause. If it were a prank or some random object, Sonic would be overexcited and bubbling. Obviously, this was more important. More curious than worried, he gracefully leapt out of the tree.

"Very well. What is it?" He said diffidently. "Another Eggman adventure you'd like to regale me with? I've heard them all, at this point."

Sonic swallowed and shuffled his feet for a second. He breathed, then said, "Brace yourself. It's… a letter. From Rouge."

Shadow stared at him, then his eyes narrowed dangerously. "I swear you will not live to see another sunrise, Faker, if you deceive me again. She is gone, and has been for many months now. You know that!"

"It's not a friggin' joke! Take a look!" He thrust the paper towards black-and-crimson hedgehog. Shadow scanned it quickly. It was definitely from her, all right. It had the handwriting, the signature— and no other person would sign her name with that kiss. Oh, he remembered that kiss, and that lipstick. He could see her smiling…

Shadow growled. No! He did NOT miss that two-timing bitch! He threw the paper back at Sonic and turned his back. "Great, what does she want now? She need busting out of jail again? Bitch always was cocksure."

"No, she wants to meet. Tomorrow night, at the theater."

"Well, isn't that a nice way to contact your friends after TEN YEARS!? She left, Sonic, and she's f*ing dead to me, so have fun at your goddamn party and leave me the hell alone!" Shadow spat, stubbornly fighting the inner desire to meet her, to see her again.

"It's not that simple. She asked for you… and only will come if you do. Please, I know you don't care, but we still miss her."

"Well, you're right, I don't fucking care. Go get another stooge, because I will not subject myself to the meaningless scrutiny of the twisted bitch!"

"Don't you understand? This is about more than you. We were so hurt when she left… She was like the sister who left for college— a little distant, but our family nonetheless."

"Why should I give a shit what your lackeys feel? They're just suckers for the scheming cunt anyway!"

Sonic narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He replied, "Y'know Shads, you're starting to piss me off."

"Well, fuck off, because I don't care. No, I will not be a rag for you and your cohorts to cry into."

The blue hedgehog's visage hardened. A sudden rage flowed over his features, literally making him shake with anger. The fury was so evident in his expression that Shadow took a startled step back, fearful that Dark Sonic would make an entrance.

"You are NOT the ONLY GODDAMN PERSON ON THE FUCKING PLANET! Will you PLEASE think of SOMEONE BESIDE YOUR GODDAMN NARCISSISTIC SELF FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND? Cream cried for a fucking MONTH after she left, you FUCKING ASININE PRICK! Amy couldn't leave her house for a week, and the Chaotix even shut down the business, their fucking LIVELIHOOD to try to convince her to come back— but all YOU care about is your own GODDAMN FEELINGS like the SELF-CENTERED SON-OF-A-BITCH YOU ARE! Sorry, the TEST-TUBE-OF-A-MURDEROUS-ASSHOLE!"

"Shut the fuck up! You-" Shadow began.

Uh oh. Bad move. Sonic's face contorted, and the hedgehog began to darken, liquid darkness gathering around him. Dark Sonic had indeed decided to make an entrance. His pupils disappeared, an eerie white replacing them. A supersonic hand, now pitch black, slammed into Shadow and pinned him against the tree, squeezing his throat so he was barely able to breathe. "No. YOU shut the fuck up, or I will personally make sure you never speak or breathe again. Now, I will explain this for the last time— I couldn't give one flying fuck what you feel or go through. I care for those 'lackeys' who are my fucking family. If you do not concede this ONE time, I will personally rip you into pieces so small that not even the fucking gods could reassemble you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Shadow tried to respond with his normal flair, but even he was unnerved by the sheer power of Dark Sonic— not by the aura, but by the ruthless way that the negative form of the hero would carry out the deed. If Sonic the hedgehog had said that, he would have laughed and refused. But this demon… No, he really would do it. And enjoy every agonizing second.

"Fine. Calm down, Sonic. I'll go. Just… Calm down."

The darkness dissipated slowly, and Sonic's fur brightened to its normal cobalt hue. He breathed, flexing his fingers a few times. "Jesus, Shadow, you want to cut it any closer next time? I was about to tear you into tiny bits!"

"Yeah, I could tell. Didn't know you'd snap so easy."

Sonic sighed. "Look, Shads, I know what it'll be like, meeting up with her. Hell, I wish _I_ didn't have to go!"

"Then why are you?"

"Because the world is bigger than you or me. I wasn't kidding when I said that Amy wouldn't leave her house. I think that she had this objective even she didn't really understand to starve herself. That letter Rouge left had such despair in it… Amy couldn't take it. You know as well as I that she doesn't really see the crap in the world. But when she does…" he shuddered. "Anyway, this was the chance she needed, to see that Rouge is all right, that she hasn't, well, y'know… jumped off the life train."

"Why did Amy or Cream even care? Rouge never showed much sympathy toward them."

"Yeah, but they felt her pain, man." Sonic covered his face with his hands, and a single crystal dropped down his cheek. "Shit, man, Cream was in such a bad way. Vanilla couldn't get her to eat, to sleep, even to talk. She just cried and cried… The two of them drove me insane, I was so worried that they'd give up. It got so bad that we moved them into Cream's house and purged the place of anything sharp or resembling a rope. Vanilla, Knux and I took turns watching the two of them. Tails even set up a bracelet to monitor their stats to make sure they didn't pull anything."

"Well, at least they commit suicide, right? I mean, the stuff was just a precaution, anyway."

"No, I'm pretty grateful he did that, though. They tried to run off and find her. They would have gotten hit by a fricking train if Tails hadn't warned me. If I weren't literally the fastest thing alive, they wouldn't be here today."

Shadow stared at him. "You're joking."

"Pretty sick fucking joke. You see why I was… a little annoyed?"

"More like apocalyptically infuriated."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, I can't say I'm sorry about it, but let's head back to my place. I'll catch ya up on what's what. We're meeting at the Chasm Theater, to watch the show there." Seeing the look on his counterpart's face, he sighed.

"Look, wasn't my choice, bro. If it had been, we probably wouldn't have just gone through all that fuss. She implied that after the show, she wanted to meet with you for a few minutes."

"And after that?"

"Well, I dunno. She really didn't say anything else. You wanna read the letter?"

"No. And Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"I warn you, I will not be happy after this is over. Not one bit. Most likely, I will head off for awhile. Maybe a couple of weeks.

" 'Kay. Just say goodbye, allright?"

The next evening, Shadow met with Sonic at his house. They picked up Cream, Amy, and Tails, Knuckles being uninvited and happy that way. While on their way, Cream and Amy chattered incessantly about seeing Rouge again until Shadow literally began to glow red, a sure sign of an oncoming Chaos Blast. After that, silence prevailed.

Arriving at the theater, Shadow breathed deeply. It was not one of his most favorite places, having a sordid history behind. Some beautiful times had ended here, and while he was not surprised by the choice of meeting place, he was still not pleased. Flickers of the past blew through his mind involuntarily. A quick smile, a flash of white teeth, the feel of skin on skin, the sound of shared laughter echoing down the halls, the smell of her ritzy perfume…

He growled, startling Cream and Amy. Sonic put his arm on Shadow's shoulder. "Careful, now. Calm down. Time enough for anger after."

He was right, of course, but that didn't make it any easier. Upon entering, the theater manager took one look at them and led them to a reserved set of seats without a word. Shadow could count pretty well, and he counted five seats.

"Hey, did a bat tell you to do this? Where is that bi- that woman? Get her out here and let's get this over with."

The stage manager looked back at Shadow, seeming as though she wanted to say something, but just pursed her lips and shook her head in disapproval, walking away quickly.

"Everybody's got something to say, don't they?" He muttered. "Where is that stupid bitch? Probably just dragging it out, that sadistic whore." Sonic just sighed.

Tails kept the two girls occupied, small talk preventing them both from upsetting the already unbalanced hedgehog nearby and from hearing what he was saying about their friend.

Then, the stage lights dimmed, a sure sign that the performance was about to begin. The stage manager walked on, highlighted by a single lamp. She tapped the mike for attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we at the Chasm Theatre are proud to have you in attendance for this one-time event. Thank you for your help in making this a very special night. Today, we have just one short act, performed by one of our stellar singers. I ask that you give her the utmost respect, because she has decided that this would be her first, and her last, song."

Tails shifted in his seat and whispered to Sonic, "Where is she? The show's about to start!"

Sonic glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not very perceptive, are you?"

"And now, for the only time anywhere, here is our main event!"

A burst of applause followed, as the manager strode offstage. The lamp extinguished, and the stage was plunged into absolute darkness. Silence…

And then, a single violin began to hum, followed by a solitary drumbeat. Their erratic melody formed a mesmerizing combination. Footsteps echoed as heels clicked onstage, the room was too dark to be able to see the performer but the outline visible on the background. Shadow swallowed, as the lights blinked on, revealing what he had already deduced. Rouge, resplendent in her ivory white dress with a beautiful hem of lace, with gloves to match. A satin upper piece offset her otherwise ghostly attire, and her hair flowed freely down her back. Shadow's face lost all its color, and his eyes looked hollow, lost.

As she strode to center stage, she breathed once, and then began to sing in a dulcet voice that immediately captured every audience member's attention. As she sang, she danced, swirling and stepping entrancingly. Her crystal voice, so achingly sad and eerily familiar, sounded across the room. Every ounce of her emotion was evident in the song, evoking the same feelings for every person in the room. The spotlights began shifting in a circle, and in one sudden fluctuation in the music, focused on this dancer with a voice of gold.

As she lifted her head to face the crowd, the most startling aspect of all was revealed: Her eyes, such portals to the soul, were emerald green, and filled with pain. Barely contained tears were concealed there, testaments to the secret tortures she had endured. Many were moved by her so shockingly honest revealing of her truest, most inner self. Her eyes told so much, and her words told all the more. And, as she sang, she spoke words that most could never remember, overwhelmed by the euphony of sound. Her words were of her innermost torment, pieces of a shattered soul brought to light. Oh, but Shadow could hear it through every beat. And her words brought the tears to his eyes he swore would never come. It brought him right back to the day she left.

"It ended in all in sadness,  
>And in harsh moonlight<br>Oh, pain of memories again!  
>Oh the pain, this night!<br>I see the stars,  
>Weeping down today,<br>All of a broken love,  
>Never meant to stay.<br>I felt it once,  
>And never before,<br>A true existence  
>I was so sure!<br>And then a silence  
>When there should have been sound,<br>And darkness all around!  
>My shadows deserted, and I all alone<br>Cried out to the silence  
>Too much to atone."<p>

On and on she sang, reaching an extraordinary climax. As she reached the peak of her song, those floodgates to her soul were released. She began to weep silently, the rivers of crystal only increasing her beauty. Her voice stayed strong and precise, the tears simply completing the heart-rending melody. The exquisite aria stirred the audience in such a way that they began to weep, too, each comforting and being comforted by their neighbor, except the solitary Shadow, who accepted no help. He clutched at his chest, his own sobs hidden by the awe-inspiring performance. The soulful strains that pierced the air, that pierced the heart, rang out like they would last for the rest of eternity.

And then, the music stopped. Rouge bowed once, and the curtains closed abruptly. Through the overwhelming cheers of the audience, Sonic and Shadow could hear wracked sobs from beyond the velvet line.

Looking him in the eye, Sonic sighed. "You know that was just as painful for her, too."

Shadow said nothing. The performance may have been live, may have been for an audience of hundreds, but the song had only been for him. The music, the pain, the gaze they shared as she sang, all of that and more made him know it could have been the two of them sitting in an open field with no one for miles, and it would have been the same.

Sonic told Tails to take the girls home, and that they would be staying for a little while longer. They protested, wanting to see Rouge after all of these years, but they agreed that it was better to give her some time to recover from the performance. After looking at the utterly despondent Shadow, Tails silently took Amy and Cream and led them out of the crowd.

Shadow looked up at his rival. "You go, too. I'll be fine. I… I need to finish this. Alone."

Sonic began to object, but he trailed off, understanding the situation. He sighed, and dashed off to find Tails.

The black and crimson hedgehog put his head in his hands for a moment, just trying to breathe. Then, he stood upright and made his way backstage.

The stage manager, upon seeing him, bustled over to him, trying to shoo him out of the area. He just continued to walk forward, seeking the curled up woman shivering in the center of the stage where she had collapsed. He embraced her, rocking slowly back and forth with her, whispering to her. She clutched at him, continuing to sob. She seemed so small, so frail, like all of her life was pouring out with her tears. For every ounce of his that wanted to hate her, to loathe the very soil upon which she walked, he could not help but feel the same pain echo in his soul. They stayed like that, placed upon the stage like star struck lovers. Finally, her tears dried, and she stood upright, still clinging tightly to Shadow.

He swallowed. "I… I really missed you. Everyone did. I… I couldn't believe you were gone."

"I'm not sure I ever really left." She looked up into his eyes. "I cried every night. Even though I had spent years taking care of myself, after that I couldn't stand the thought of going to sleep so alone."

He looked away. "I… I watched your cave for weeks, hoping you'd come back. I felt like I had lost everything again. Like everyone I had cared about had disappeared again. I guess, in a way, they had."

"I know exactly how you feel." She turned his head back, so their eyes met again. "This is really hard, but... Tell me, can we… Can we try again? I don't think I can survive another break, but… I can't go back to being alone anymore."

Shadow looked at her silently for a moment, and then flashed a charming, sincere smile. "I don't know if we can work, but we can sure as hell _try_."

She laughed, and they embraced again, holding each other like they would never let them go. And, in some ways, they never did.


End file.
